Method of laying multiple conduit and coupling for same



` oct. 11, 1932. H. PARKER 1,881,913

METHOD OF LAYING MULTIPLE CONDUIT ANDv COUPLING FOR SAME Original Filed March 9, 1928 to ticularly desirable waterproofed fiber type is made by winding v is important Patented 'Oct 11, 1932 PATENT oFFicE HOWARD PARKER, OF BERLIN,

HAMPSHIRE, .AssIeNoE moBnowN .coMIAqNm or.

BERLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AocnnonnfrIoN .or MAINE l y y VIvIE'risron or LAYING MULTIPLE coNnUiIfr. ooUILINe Een Original application filed March 9, 1928, Serial No. 2

this application led .Tune 19, A'1930. i S'eriaVNo. 462,389.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 260,452 filed March 9, 1928, which has matured into Patent No. 1,804,417 8 of May 12,1931. The invention relates to the laying of fiber conduit in multiple. For many purposes, a fabricated conduit of waterproofed fiber is found desirable by reason of its comparative toughness, strength, durability, lightness and low price. A parkind of conduit of the `a sheet of wet pulp upon itself under pressure in convolutions until the desired wall thickness is obtained, drying lout the moisture, and 1 saturating the dry tube with asphaltic or other waterproofing material. Sections of conduit may be laid end to end and united by suitable couplings to form continuous conduits of indeterminate length suitable for use as pipe- Je lines or for telephone or electric power cables or for any other uses to which lconduits are put. In some cases it is preferred to use the conduits as cores about which concrete or other filling may be poured and set, the ber 25 conduits remaining in the structure to line the bores which they form in the filler.

As conduits of this kind are particularly adapted for use as containers of electric wires such as telephone wires and power cables, it that the multiple structurebe capable of assembly with no metal fasteners penetrating the walls of the conduits. It is also desirable thatthespacers which hold the conduits apart be constructed of durable ma- '35 terial preferably adapted to bond withthe concrete or other material which may be used in iilling in thespaces between the individual conduits after the latter are laid in position.

According to the invention, multiple mem- 340 bers comprising a plurality of coupling elements iixed in a spacing block of cement or the like, can conveniently be usedv with sections of individual conduit in the laying of a l multiple conduit of indefinite length. Toy this.

end, the multiple coupling members are set sensa-ana fin' canaria Maren 14, 1-9'29.. *Divided and up. successively, individual 'nonduit sections being Iassembled therewith progressively.

rllhe.multiple couplingmembersthuseactboth as acouplingscand as `spac'ersfnrrthe individual assembled conduits which `may thereupon lbe encasedn concrete. ilhis :invention is 2par. tieularly -aol-wantageous from the Vpoint of view ...of economy fin transport ation ifrom -sthe mill Vtothe 1j ob. lAssembled. sections fof multiple yconduit are comparatively bulkycompared to thercombined :bulk :of xthe indivi'dual conduits of which l:they `are n'nade'. Hence .a

considerableweconomy of space V:may .be .effected fbyithzis 'form of the invention;

Other advantageous" features of :theinvention will .be-'app arentito '.oneskilled .in .the `art from the following fdescripti'on and tliromV the dTaWIIgiOf WhiCh,-

i 1 ,f )Figure 1 ,shows in-.perspective alsp acer :xunit in the torm tof :a multiplecoupling b'lo ck, aportionsiofiindividualiconduitfsectionsbeing:also shown to indicate the manner of .use lof .the complinglbl'ock when laid Y Fxigmle2isfatransverseisectionof themultipleicouplingblockslrownfin Figurel. i

Figure f3 .f-showsfa coupling :haviing anchoring :fpins :projecting :therefrom:

Figures 4f-7 are sections 'illustrating cou# plings ief'varous kinds ywhich may be 1 cast"` in ablock; f j Referring dicates asspacer blockmolde'd about'a plurall Vity -of Vfixed collars which take zthe :form 1of coupli'ng elements B4 zand-.fare arranged in suitably spaced'v-relation.` The block is pref era-bly offa ,suitable emoldable 1material such for example as cement. In order toianchor the individual vcouplings1:34L securely iniplace in Athe :block :35, l"wooden 'fpieg-s 86 :or :other an-l chor'ing :members fmay be ip artly .driven j into the 'wall ,o-f .each ecoupling .84. llhe .desired number .ofcoup'li'ngs Lmay then .be shel'd :in .a

jig wwliile` vthe poured Aaround ,ftheml4 If :space ipermitalan opening toixopenings .137. may [be 'left @in the material :for Athe :block 35de f bers in vpredetermined spaced relationfand a 'asia Cil block to save weight and to yafford more points of bonding for the concrete or other material subsequently poured aroundv and between the conduits whenk installed on a ob. Instead of pegs 36 as anchoring means, I may provide other equivalent meansl such peripheral rib 38 or other projections on the outer surface of each coupling. Similarly, one or more depressions such as a groove 39 may bev formed on the outer surface of the-couplingsto lock with theblock 35, such a groove being indicated in Figure` Projections or depressions may bevvcon veniently formed by making coupling withk walls of eXtra thickness and 'cutting away' portions of the wall to leave a projecting por-V` tion as shown in Figures 4 to 6 or cutting 're-Vv cesses or depressions such as the groove individual couplings are securely anchored in predetermined relative positions.

4. As a separate. article of manufacture, a multiple coupling for liber conduit, comprising a' plurality of individual fiber couplings,`

and a cement'v signature. y l j HOWARD PARKER.

shown in Figure 7. Figures 4to 6 illustrate. y

different types of couplings which may be employed, Figure 4 showing two male ends, Figure 6 two female ends, and Figure 5 one Vend of each kind. It is obvious thatfgrooves or depressions may be cut on anyof these types of couplings insteadof the rib shown.

In using the multiple coupling, successive multipleV couplings areset up on the j obV alternately with Vindividual conduits ybetween them, thelcouplings serving toxsupport the conduits in-properly spaced relat-ion as well as. to provide joints. for abutting ends of inv dividual conduits.: Figure 1 illustrates the manner of laying a. multiple coupling block with individual conduit sections, fragments of which are indicated at 40. f t' ,l

Certain Vembodiments of.- this" invention having thus ybeen described', it should `be evil dentto those skilled in the; art that various changesfand kmodifications gmight be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined y the appended claims; f Iclaimz'.. l. As a separatearticle of manufacture, a multiple coupling for ber conduit, comprising a .plurality of individual 'coupling-mem# block of plastic material cast around the cen# tral portion of eachcoupling.

w2. 'As a separate article ofgmanufacture',va Y' l comprising a"L plurality ofindividual ber couplings having projections onthe outer'surfa'ce thereof, and'a cement block cast'about a longitulV dinal sectionof each coupling, said block 'in` terlocking with said projections and holding said couplings in: predetermined relative Position. l Y. w

3. As a separate articleof manufacturma multiple coupling, for fiber conduit, compris#A inga plurality of individualyfiber couplings, each coupling having a portion of itseXterio'r surface projecting further from its axis than' other portions of the surface, a cement block engaging all said .couplings and interlocking with ysaid projecting'portions, whereby the n ino 

